Prudhoe Castle (Copyright © Don Brownlow)

[NZ 0915 6340] Prudhoe Castle [LB]. (1)

Probably erected in the early 12th century as a motte and bailey, subsequently rebuilt in stone, and the keep added on the site of the levelled motte. In the 13th century the curtain wall was again rebuilt, and extended to include the keep within the circuit. A barbican was added in the mid-14th century. Situated on a precipitous, natural hill, the Castle is defended by moats on the south and west sides only. Scheduled. See map diagram for components. (2)(3)(4)

In good condition. Published survey (25 inch) of earthworks revised. (5)

Castle. Largely C12 and C13. Barbican C14. Manor house early C19. Squared stone. Manor house dressed stone and stone slate roof. Inner and outer baileys now divided by Gothick manor house, keep and gatehouse with barbican. Castle approached by elongated barbican with outer pointed arch leading to round-headed tunnel-vaulted gate passage under rectangular tower. Chapel on 1st floor important early canted, oriel window, lancet windows on east side; guard room above and external stair from ground to roof. Curtain wall largely intact with a variety of features connected with former internal buildings, the foundations of which have recently been exposed, and including shouldered-arched opening to well-preserved garderobe on south side. East tower, Gothicised in late C18. Manor house of 2 storeys, 5 bays, has to left a round-arched carriage entry to inner ward. 6-panelled door with four-centred head and fanlight in right bay. Similar heads to windows, sashes with intersecting glazing bars. Left return embattled and incorporating earlier masonry with two 2-light C15 windows. Right return apsidal and embattled. 3 stone ridge stacks.
Inner bailey has well-preserved curtain wall with round tower at north-west corner and base of another at south-west corner. Ruined keep, linked to Manor House by remains of forebuilding, is quite small, 41 x 44 feet. South-west corner intact with crenellated angle turret. Mural stair in west wall and 2 shouldered-arched openings in north wall. Well-preserved garderobe on north curtain wall. Range of early and mid C19 outbuildings against west wall.
(Royal Archeological Institute: Newcastle 1976 Archeologia Aeliana: New Series XIV 1891 Anglo-Norman Studies: Vol. 5.) (6)

Built by the d'Umfravilles at beginning of 12th century, passed by marriage to the Percys in 13th century. Usual type of border castle. (7)

An important example of the keep free-standing in the inner bailey, and an outer bailey with gatehouse. Keep must have existed in 1173, probably older than any other Northumbrian keep. (8)

A three or four-faced head (tri- or tetracephalos), carved in stone, lies in the chapel over the gateway of the Castle. Only one face remains; the two flanking faces may have been deliberately defaced. Likely Romano-British date. (9)

A carved stone was found in the foundations of the 14th century hall, during excavations by Keen and Thackray in 1976. Stored on the site. (10)

A survey of 1596 recorded the existence of a Hall with a kitchen opposite the gatehouse. Excavations have established its existence. (11)

(H00781) NZ 092634. Prudhoe Castle cup and ring marked stone. On display. (12)

Prudhoe Castle. Site fortified since very early times, earthworks remain outside the castle walls. First mentioned as resisting sieges in 1173 and 1174. Free-standing keep in inner bailey, with outer keep with gatehouse and barbican. Was a double moat around all these works between which stood a pele and barmkin.
Prudhoe pele and barmkin. Pele ordered to be built in 1326 outside gates of the castle. Built between the two moats on west side of barbican. Pele yard apparently entered via a 'Gate Rowme', little now remains. (13)

Excavations in 1974 before consolidation in outer ward, medieval layers survive to within a few centimetres of the present ground surface. Large quantities of stratified pottery recovered. (14)

Two late medieval buildings located. 16th century pottery from occupation layers. One building stood against the east side of the gatehouse and curtain wall. The second built against, or incorporated in, the east tower of the ward. Large circular depression between the buildings was found to be a lime-pit. (15)

NZ 0916 6341. Prudhoe Castle tower keep castle. Scheduled RSM No23228. A tower keep Border castle including two baileys or courtyard containing the keep and numerous other medieval buildings, a gatehouse, barbican and curtain wall, and the castle's outer defences which incorporate two ditches on the S and W sides. A medieval bridge outside the outer defences and to the E of the main gatehouse is also included in the Scheduling. The earliest upstanding feature of the stone castle is the lower part of the gatehouse. This dates to the early 12th century and indicates that the castle's inner defences, originally of timber, had begun to be replaced in stone by c.1100. The massive curtain wall built at this time is over 1.5m thick and nearly 8m high. Prior to the construction of the tower keep, the lord's private and public chambers would have been included within the hall, recently discovered by excavation to have stood against the N curtain in the E bailey of the castle. This was a rectangular building of two storeys which may have retained its public functions after the tower keep was built. E of it, following the E curtain, the remains of a number of service buildings have been found including a kitchen and brewhouse, the latter below the E tower. On the right of the gatehouse are the remains of the castle mill and, on the left, the pond which fed it. (16)

19th century plan of the castle. (17)

Additional descriptions. (18)(19)(20)

Previous analysis of the carpentry from the castle gates had suggested a mid-14th century date for their construction. However, tree-ring analysis was carried out on 13 samples from the castle gates by English Heritage published in 2002 suggests that they were constructed using timber felled AD 1459-84. At that time the Castle was in the possession of the second Earl of Northumberland. A single site sequence was obtained of 127 rings, dating from AD1318 to AD1444. The suggested felling date of one sample is between AD1459 and 1484 and the remainder are believed to have been felled no earlier than 1425. The mid-15th century date of the gates is over 100 years later than previously thought based on carpentry and stylistic grounds. (21)

Further discussion of the construction and date of the castle gates with comparison to other sites. (22)

In March 2015, Archaeological Services Durham University carried out an archaeological watching brief during the excavation of 12 postholes for a fence to the south of the curtain wall within the scheduled area of Prudhoe Castle. No archaeological features, deposits or artefacts were recorded. (23)

The cup marked stone found during the excavations of a 14th century hall within the castle was recorded in a Rock Art survey carried out by the North of the Wall Tynedale Archaeology Group as part of the Beyond the Wall: Edges Green Project. The motifs consist of two, possibly three single cups and two larger cups with multiple rings, the lower cup has three rings and the higher has two, both the outer rings overlap. The rings were very faint and difficult to see but could be penannulars. Short radial grooves were recorded running from the central cups. (24)

Excavations were undertaken in the inner ward by Laurence Keen and David Thackray between 1972 and 1981. Some 12 occupaiton phases were recognised. Examination of the animal remains showed they dated from the 11th to 19th centuries. Most animal remains were cattle, sheep and pig and were probably kitchen / butchery waste. (25)

Norman keep with two round towers and one square tower, freestanding within an oval ward. Norman rectangular gatehouse with verylong barbican projecting in front of it. It appears likely that there were originally two wards. (26a)

History of the site. (26b)

The re-written English Heritage Guidebook published in 2006 includes a "tour" of the salient features of the castle and an overview of the development of its defences and other buildings and the major events surrounding its history. There are sections on the wider estate around the castle, and of the seiges of 1173-74 by Wiliam the Lion, King of Scotland. It has numerous illustrations including phase plans and artwork showing the main features of the castle. (26c)